Cyprus secured its first win in the UEFA Nations League and avoided a relegation playoff to League D this matchday. Despite their defeat, Greece secured first place in the group and will be in League B next season.
The result means nothing for Greece’s standing in the group, as the Greeks have already won it scoring four wins in as many games before this one. However it was particularly meaningful for Cyprus, as it maintains its hopes of staying in this division.
On the debut of Georgian manager Temuri Ketsbaia on the Cypriot bench, the host played a clever game, dominating play from the 15th to the 45th minute. In that spell Cyprus had two great chances and and found a goal as the Greek defense was all over the place for long periods in the first half.
A ball by Pieros Sotiriou on the 18th minute picked Marinos Tzioni and he slotted the ball past Greece goallie Odysseas Vlachodimos, as the Cypriots got what they truly deserved in the first 45 minutes.
The second half saw Cyprus yield ground as the Greeks tried to find a goal, and fared better after some substitutions.
